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Post by hoosieroutdoorsman on Jul 29, 2006 6:29:43 GMT -5
How do you hunt for turkey? Do you go by yourself and do the calling or do you take a buddy and alternate being the caller and the shooter? What calls have you found most productive? What calls have you found easiest to use?
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Post by michihunter on Jul 30, 2006 3:34:41 GMT -5
Used to do it myself now I have kids!! Easiest call there is a box call. Mines an H&S Strut. I favor glass/slatee calls personally. I have at least a hallf dozen og them but I'm parrticularl fond of Knight Hale's Ol YELLER!!
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Post by daniel00 on Jul 31, 2006 20:57:34 GMT -5
hi there. I'm new to turkey hunting too and been learning bout it these past weeks. I'm preparing for the fall season. If you're hunting in spring, box calls are really helpful and easy to use. It would also be helpful if you have some other guys with you or you go first with guys who are already into it so that you can observe them. there are champion callers and champion shooters and maybe both. Hope this helps. Enjoy on your hunt!
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Post by buffalocounty32 on Jul 31, 2006 21:19:56 GMT -5
this post could become long in a hurry! for me turkey hunting is my #1 passion I have no one set method for hunting them even though are the methods are based off the same idea. if i have a buddy go with my, he is camera man, sits behind and does SOME calling if i get in a pinch. I go out and call for a quite a few ppl, i usually spend 5-6weeks in the woods either hunting calling or scouting. most productive by far is to scout a few weeks in advance everny night, watch where they go to roost and when they roost. then come back in the morning and watch where they are at daybreak. then simply get in bright and early the next morning ans set up near where they fly down. then after a real hen lets out a few tree yelps you let out a few soft yelps and a purr just to let them know you are in the area. then just sit and wait for flydown time. if they dont fly directly to you, they know where you are and will usually come back as soon as they finish with thier 1st batch of hens. a big thing to remember is that when you are trying to call in a tom you are actually reversing nature. the way it works in the woods is the tom gets in his strut zone and the hot hens come find him. not him come to the hens, thats one of the main reasons turkeys are hard to call. dont go back to camp at 10-12:00 your missing out on another one of the most productive times of the day, if there are any lonely toms, they are out looking at this time to find hens to keep them company the rest of the day calls, when i hit the woods i carry around 10-15 calls(mostly mouth calls.) though i find mouth calls best becuase they limit movement i can honestly say i have called in more turkeys with a slate. they are just very easy to use and you can get them to sound great with a little practice. also they are quiet when walking around, ive had it happen too many times that my box calls makes a putt even with a rubber band. so i only pack box calls when going in the morning and not spot and stalking turkeys. one call i will not go in the woods without is my crow locator call, its so simple to use and has saved my butt alot when i lose track of a gobbler, best yet they dont suspect predator when you use it, they just let know you where they are! my favorite calls are- MOUTH- illusion double reed quaker boy screamin green BOX- quaker boy 10 sider SLATE- primos power crystal old glory ol yeller the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do though is scout, get to know the birds, it makes it easier(but no chip shot) at getting a poke at that almighty longbeard (ok im off my soap box now)
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Post by hoosieroutdoorsman on Aug 2, 2006 18:17:12 GMT -5
Its good to see that the ones who have answered have found their own way. With so many calls and so many strategies something as fulfilling as turkey hunting could become more of a hassle than an enjoyable day. Myself I tend to stick to the basics, I do like Tyler and do alot of scouting specially at dark to find their roost points. Then I broaden my search during the daylight ours by searching for droppings, usually this gives me an idea of how the turkey spends his or her day in that area and how far from the roost they venture. Once I find 3-4 spots to set up, I set up just like hunting and go through a test run or two, this lets me know if I will be in a spot that I can draw my bow or gun and still be concealed. I try out each spot twice and see how the birds react to what calls and what time of day it is, then when I go for the hunt I usually have a buddy to alternate calling and shooting. I generally stick to my slate call as I have had more practice with that. I do want to get proficient with a mouth (reed) call.
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Post by bigskyscott on Sept 6, 2006 9:03:44 GMT -5
All of the above posts had excellent advise in them . Fall season is a little different though . As was already mentioned before, locating them is the "key". In the fall , be prepaired to put in some miles of walking ... looking for feeding areas, fresh tracks, droppings, scratched out areas etc..I like to walk the ridges.Its easier for my old ears to hear a flock of birds up high if their making a lot of noise while feeding. Once a flock is located, I bust them up then set-up exactly in the same spot where the birds scattered. Make sure they were "scattered", not flushed where they all fly in the same direction. If they do that, its difficult call a single bird into you . Turkeys don't like to be alone and want to reassemble back into its flock . You might have to sit in that spot for a long time. I use a "lost bird" (Kee Kee)call and also a mature hen yelp. If there is a lonely bird (usually a young one) wanting to get back to its flock, it will eventually find its way back to your location. You can also call gobblers in once you have them located by using a low raspy gobbler yelp . Thats the way I do it in the fall season . I prefer using friction type calls . I use an old Lynch and a custom made box calls, various slates. And occasionally a mouth call which I use with a slate at the same time to immitate two birds together. I've been experimenting making my own slate calls using a slate with a Red Eared Slider turtle shell. I'm still not completely satisfied with getting a good "breakover" tone, but I'm getting there.I'm also trying to get the right call / striker combos together. They are loud though . Its really fun messing around with this stuff. Here are some pic's of some of my early prototypes .
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Post by 4pointer on Sept 6, 2006 22:54:51 GMT -5
The zone I hunt , has no FALL season, but from reading about FALL TURKEY HUNTIN , They say to locate the birds & bust them up,, Than sit , wait fer awhile ,Than start your callin, like Bigsky said, they hate too be alone, Everyone gave great advice,, GREAT LOOKIN CALLS YOU MADE THERE SCOTT ;D
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